Digital Health is Failing: From Clinical Outcomes to Return on Investment

Millions have been invested in digital health with relatively little true value creation in the form of clinical outcomes, population health, or return for investors. In whichever way you measure (economic or clinical) we are leaning towards the reality that digital health is failing. Why? I think it has to do with 2 things: 1) the disconnect between the perceived benefits and value of these solutions and the actual behavioral change required to implement them and 2) the context of today’s healthcare vs. the ideal of healthcare’s future in value-based care. Over the past couple of weeks, I made a LinkedIn post on the topic of the necessary behavioral changes needed to implement digital health solutions and the context of today’s western healthcare industry, where health insurance is conflated with healthcare. Both of those posts took off, with some lively discussion, so I figured it would be worth doing a podcast episode exploring the topic Why Digital Health is Failing.

So, this week, I share some of my thoughts on this topic and a couple of the solutions I see in this problem.

What we cover in this Episode:

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• Understanding the conflation between health insurance and healthcare
  
• The importance of understanding the behavioral changes required to implement new technologies
  
• The troubles with the fee for service model of healthcare
  
• Why a solid positioning strategy can drive leads, but won’t necessarily drive utilization
  
• The pros and cons of launching in today’s digital health market
  
• Understanding the importance of implementation and clinical workflows
  
• Achieving Better Outcomes by leveraging technology to streamline processes and reduce costs
  

We post videos of certain podcast episodes, including this episode, which can find on the YouTube Channel.

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• LinkedIn (Rafi Salazar)
  
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If you enjoyed this episode: Join Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L (Rafi), principal of Rehab U Practice Solutions and host of The Better Outcomes Show as he explores the possibilities of a new healthcare. Guests range from clinicians trying new techniques and treatments to executives and entrepreneurs exploring new service delivery methods, business models, and organizational structures. You can sign-up to receive new episodes delivered directly to your inbox by filling out the form below.  Learn more about Rehab U Practice Solutions by reading The Manifesto for a New Healthcare, or listen to Episode 000. Or, grab a copy of the book: Better Outcomes: A Guide to Humanizing Healthcare.

If you run an innovative healthcare company and are looking to develop a strategy that leverages best practices, new technology, and marketing/messaging in a way that returns the focus of healthcare to people, please reach out. I’d love to talk with you about how Rehab U Practice Solutions can help help you craft an business development strategy that leverages positioning, market research, stakeholder alignment to drive business development strategy for specific healthcare stakeholders.